Darius Garland scored 39 points, Evan Mobley added 17 and the host Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 8-0 with a 116-114 win on Monday night over the Milwaukee Bucks, who played without injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Cavs also went 8-0 in 1976.
Garland drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds left and the Cavs rallied down the stretch, outscoring the Bucks 18-8 over the final 6:06.
Jarrett Allen added 14 points, 15 rebounds and had a huge block on Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard in the final seconds.
Lillard scored 36 for the Bucks, but committed a costly turnover when he was called for an over-and-back violation with 56 seconds left.
Antetokounmpo sat out with a strained adductor muscle, an injury the two-time MVP sustained during the loss to Cleveland. The Bucks have lost six straight.
CELTICS 123, HAWKS 93 >> Jayson Tatum scored 26 of his 28 points in the first half and visiting Boston earned its third straight win.
Tatum also had nine assists and six rebounds and did not play in the fourth quarter with the Celtics comfortably in front.
Hawks guard Trae Young left the game in the third quarter with a right rib strain. He was 1 for 10 from the floor and finished with two points and six assists in 23 minutes.
PISTONS 115, LAKERS 103 >> Cade Cunningham had 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for his third career triple-double and host Detroit beat Los Angeles.
Jaden Ivey matched a season high with 26 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 19 points, Tobias Harris had 15 points and Jalen Duren had 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Anthony Davis scored 37 points for the Lakers and LeBron James had 20 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.
Kings 111, Heat 110 >> Domantas Sabonis scored off an offensive rebound with 0.7 seconds left, and visiting Sacramento rallied from 15 points down to beat Miami.
DeAaron Fox scored 28 for Sacramento, while DeMar DeRozan finished with 26. Sabonis — who grabbed Fox’s miss in the final moments and made the game’s final basket — finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists.
NETS 106, GRIZZLIES 104 >> Dennis Schroder and Cam Johnson each scored 20 points and host Brooklyn beat Memphis. Dorian Finney-Smith added 17 points and Cam Thomas had 13 for the Nets.
SPURS COACH POPOVICH OUT WITH ILLNESS >> San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is out indefinitely while recovering from an illness.
San Antonio announced Popovich did not travel with the team on its current road trip at the Clippers on Monday and at Houston on Wednesday. The Spurs host Portland on Thursday.
Mitch Johnson will serve as interim coach during Popovich’s absence.
Johnson was informed about 2 1/2 hours prior to Saturday’s tipoff against Minnesota that the 75-year-old Popovich was unavailable because of an undisclosed illness.